2004 Nissan Maxima SE from North America - Comments

21st Nov 2005, 20:14

I own a Maxima myself, and the issue with the steering that you feel is called torque steer. This is due to the Maxima being a high (er) horsepower front-wheel-drive car. Basically, when you push on the gas aggressively, the tires will try to pull in a certain direction if they are even slightly turned. Just a small sacrifice to a good horsepower sedan in my opinion.

7th Jun 2006, 15:36

I have a 2004 Maxima SL which I bought after trading in my 98 Maxima. Now has only 12k. This cars overall acceleration and handling is much better than the 98. Stereo is awesome. The torque steer is to be expectd with that much power under the hood with a front wheel drive. Just don't lean on the pedal so hard. Dash did rattle some, but dealer corrected some of the problems. Mostly has to do with the glove compartment. I agree plastics in interior appointment could be better. Day time head lights seem to burn out fast. Mileage is slightly worse than 98 Max, but still not too bad considering the horsepower. Steering radius is a nuisance. Haven't noticed the steering shimmy problem at all that people are talking about. The thing goes like hell on the highway, don't even feel how fast your going. Did have the strut problem at 5k and the dealer replaced both front struts with upgraded ones. Overall Dealer & Nissan service is good, but its had 2 recalls, but that's apparently not unusual for a car. No trunk problem. Paint does scratch easily though. Long term reliability to the 98 max is yet to be seen. There are lots of gadets that can go wrong, makes me nervous after warranty is over.